Summer is a great time to try out a few homemade versions of childhood favorites, and sidewalk chalk is one of our favorites! You can quite literally spend a whole sunny afternoon coloring on the ground.
There are many recipes out there, but we wanted one that yields a firm, but not brittle, quick-drying chalk. If you can rescue any wrapping paper tubes from the recycling bin, they make perfect molds because they have a smaller diameter than toilet paper or paper-towel tubes. Plus, they’re better for small hands. However, you could also use the tubes found inside aluminum foil, plastic wrap, etc.
Gather your materials:
- Tempera Paint (use primary, and mix to make secondary colors)
- Plaster of Paris
- Water
- Wrapping Paper Tubes
- Wax Paper
- Masking Tape
- Sandwich baggies (for piping bags)
- Scissors
Instructions:
Cut the tube into 5-inch segments. Line the interiors with wax paper, tape the base to seal one end, and set aside.
The following are the recipe proportions for one color:
Mix 2-3 tablespoons of tempera paint with 1/2 cup of water. Stir in 3/4 cup of plaster of Paris. Spoon the mixture into a sandwich baggy and snip the end. Squeeze the contents into the tube. Prop straight up (we used the masking tape ring to support the 6 tubes).
Allow to dry at room temperature for at least 12 hours before removing from the molds!
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